Emily Cho apologizes for text message to sister

By Kim Se-jeong

Emily Cho

Emily Cho, Heather Cho’s younger sister and a Korean Air executive, apologized Wednesday for a text message she sent to her sister this month.

Emily wrote on her Twitter account on Wednesday, “This morning, I saw media reports talking about my message to my sister. I feel extremely sorry for that. I wrote it, and I do not want to excuse myself.”

On Dec. 17, Emily wrote to her older sister, “I’ll avenge you.” She didn’t mention on whom or to what she was referring.

The prosecution had been investigating Heather over the “nut rage” incident. The prosecution submitted that message, along with other messages, to the court in its request to issue an arrest warrant for her. She was put behind bars Wednesday night after a court issued the warrant.

“On the day Heather showed up at the prosecution for questioning, I read comments about her on the Internet,” the younger sister wrote. “Some were very annoying, and that got me to send her that message. I am asking for your forgiveness.”

Heather was arrested for disturbing aviation operations and assaulting flight attendants.

Emily, 31, is in charge of advertising, marketing and communication at Korean Air. She is also in charge of marketing for the company’s affiliate Jin Air and is vice president of Jungseok Enterprise. She is the youngest executive among Korea’s conglomerates.

Emily’s comments have made headlines before.

In a letter to her colleagues on Dec. 17, she said everyone in Korean Air was responsible for the bad corporate culture at Korean Air.

“Corporate culture and the problems in a company are not created by one person,” she wrote in “Letter of Apology” sent to the 50-person marketing team. “I am reflecting on myself.”

Many suspect she only wrote the letter to distract attention from Korean Air, whose authoritarian corporate culture drew criticism after the “nut rage” incident.

At a forum earlier this year, the young executive showed frankness and confidence.

“Everybody knows I lack many things, and I have nothing to say if somebody asks me whether I am entitled," she said, referring to her appointment to lead the company’s marketing team, when she had only two years’ experience.

"I know everyone knows who my father is, but I think this is a chance prove to myself that I am capable of doing things.”

Emily’s message and apology drew mixed reactions.

I am scared of Emily Cho,” one person wrote.

Another wrote, “She’s been in trouble just like her sister.”

Another said, “I can sympathize with her, but she doesn’t seem to understand the situation around her where she is not supposed to say anything.”